Timing and indicating device



TIMING AND INDICATING DEVI CE Filed Feb. 23 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- LINVENTOR HARRY N WHEELER A BY E2 Z2 4 [Z ATTOR EY5 April 1941- H. N.WHEELER ,2 6,658

TIMING AND INDICATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2[NVENTOR HARRY N. WHEELER A TTORA 2Y5 Patented Apr. 1, 1941 2,238,658TIMING AND INDICA'HNG DEVICE Harry N. Wheeler, Birmingham,

one-half to Albert E.

Ohio

511., assignmof Klinkicht, Cincinnati,

Application February 23, 1940, Serial No. 320,456

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a mechanism for measuring service, oraccommodation in terms of elapsed time, and which is of the character toindicate visibly the amount of such elapsed time at all times. Thoughnot confined to such a use, my invention is of peculiar value as appliedto parking meters to register the time that a car has occupied a parkingspace, and to indicate whether such occupancy has exceeded the timelimit and is therefore subject to fine or penalty.

The object of my invention is to accomplish the time measuring in theabsence of mechanical appliances to that end by the utilization of sand,or any equivalent granular or fluid material, that is arranged to howaway from, or to pass into, a scale bearing compartment in a rotatablecontainer suitably marked to indicate, by reference to the position ofsuch sand, or the like, the elapsed time since the setting of thedevice.

My invention is essentially characterized by the provision of a sealedcontainer, preferably transparent, which is provided with discharge orreceiving compartments, either of which may serve as the measuringchamber, and both of which have communication on the one hand through arestricted flow nozzle and on the other hand by an unrestricted circularbypass through which the sand, or other measuring medium, is free toflow unobstructedly from one side to the other of said measuring nozzleresponsize to a rotation of the container.

More particularly my invention contemplates a ratchet mechanism toprevent reverse rotation of the device, and to bring it automatically torest I in measuring position in association with manual means which arepreferably arranged so that in order to operate the container through acomplete cycle of 360, the operator will be required to change his holdon the turning handle and thus interpose a moment of delay whichfacilitates and insures the complete transfer of the sand, or othermeasuring medium, from one side to the other of the measuring nozzle.

My invention further comprises associating the transparent rotatabletiming container with a cabinet having a time measuring scale inrelation to a window through which the volume of sand or the like on themeasuring side of the nozzle is readily visible, thus enabling theelapsed time to be computed without the use of any moving parts.

My invention further contemplates the arrangement of suitable actuatorson the rotatable timing container which act through the inserted dow inthe meter coin to release the timing mechanism for rotation, and whichalso act to retain the last introduced coin in display position oppositea wincabinet'or container.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction andarrangement of parts which in their preferred embodiments only areillustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification, and in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in frontelevation of the timing mechanism as applied to a parking meter stand;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view enlarged on the line 11-11 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the cabinet taken on lineIII-III of Fig. 1 and showing the mechanism therein in end elevation;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail cross sectional views taken respectively on thelines V'V and VI-Vi of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 of a modified form of containerfor the time measuring sand or like medium wherein the elapsed time isindicated by the position of material that has passed through thecontrol nozzle.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the preferred embodiment shown, and which is obviously adaptable tomany different uses, I show any suitable stand l0 having mounted thereona casing or cabinet comprising an outer cylindrical shell H with spacedparallel circular front and back plates l2 and I3 respectively.Centrally through this cabinet I pass a drive shaft l4 journalled insuitable bearings in or on the plates l2 and i3, and with one endprojecting beyond the plate l3 to receive a double winged turning handleI 5. Fast on this shaft is a metal disk or plate [6 provided with amarginal series of ratchet teeth l1, and a stop shoulder l8. In the topof the cabinet, on a shaft parallel with and above the shaft I 4, Imount loosely a pair of reversely disposed pawls I9 and 20, which, bygravity, hang in engagement with the ratchet teeth I1. The pawl 20 isformed on the under side with a cam face 2| disposed to be engaged bythe upper end of an actuator arm 22 mounted to rock on a shaft 23responsive to the actuation of a lower feeler arm 24 which is rigidlyconnected to 22 so that they operate as a bell crank on said shaft 23.This shaft 23 is rigidly mounted in a bearing 25 on the cabinet wall I3and in the bracket 26, fast on the coin ed to receive the bolts orrivets 33 by which it is made fast in concentric relation to the ratchetplate IS. The shaft also passes through a suitable aperture in'this core32, which is so shaped as to define on the right, as shown in Fig. 2, ameasuring chamber 34 having in the center of its converging bottom ameasuring nozzle 85 of suitable shape and des n to permit a regulated.restricted outflow of sand, or other measuring medium, from the chamber34 into a receiving chamber 88. This latter chamber is defined above bythe core wall 31, and marginally by the arcuate wall 38 that extendsconcentric with the center of the rotatable container, from the upperright hand side of chamber 35 to the upper right hand side of chamber34. The wall 31, which lies. horizontally above the receiving chamber35, merges into the curved inner wall 38 2 5 of the arcuate passage thatconnects the chambers 36 and 34, and which is free of any interruptionsso that an arcuate bypass is provided for .the free and unrestrictedflow of the sand 43 in display position opposite the sight hole 41 andwindow 48. It will be noted that the handle I5 is double winged and thatthe operator, in order to turn the container a complete revolution, mustturn it a partial revolution, allow the container to come to rest, andthen grasp the handle again to complete the turning operation. Theimportance of this stopping is that the granular material will haveplenty of time to travel around the bypass, whereas if the containerwere spun rapidly some of thematerial might not be delivered into thedelivery chamber 34. Before this occurs the feeler 24 will have droppedback into coin arresting position in the coin chute, the pawls 28 and i8will ride idly over 7 the ratchet teeth until the stop shoulder l8 againengages the pawl 20, which is the position shown in Figs..2 and 4,whereupon the rotation of the container is checkedin its initialposition. While the coin 54 is being pushed forward to actuate thefeeler arm 24, the more rapidly mov- 4 ing pin 53 will strike and swingthe trip 43 clear of the coin chute so that the previously depositedcoin is discharged into the cup 40, and the trip 43 will have had timeto resume coin-stopping position before the last deposited coin reachesit. The hollow glass container 3!, being rigid with the ratchet wheel onshaft l4, will of coursehave or other medium, from chamber 36 to chamber30 turned with it, its motion corresponding to the 34 when the container3i is given a complete rotation counter-clockwise, as indicated in Fig.2.

A suitable can or receptacle 48 is placed below the delivery end of thecoin chute 21 opposite a hinged door 4| in the cabinet l3, closed by a35 suitable lock 42. Opposite the delivery end of the chute I mount apivoted check or stop 43, journalled on a pin 44 in a yoke bearing 45 onthe coin chute and having on its upper end a counterweight 45 whichnormally holds the check in position to arrest a coin opposite a sight Ihole 41 in the coin chute. Opposite this sight hole 41 is a window 48 inthe cabinet wall l3, through which the coin, arrested at the dischargeend of the coin chute, can be observed before it is released. The coinchute has a top slot 58 through which the feeler arm 24 passes freelyinto position to arrest the coin 5| last introduced immediately in frontof an actuator lug 52 fast on the ratchet plate 16. A trip pin 53 (Fig.6) also is mounted on the ratchet plate l8 adjacent to and in positionto engage and trip the coin check 43 when the ratchet plate starts torotate in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4. It

will be observed that the trip pin 53 is farther from the shaft I4 thanthe pusher lug 52, which, as shown in Fig. 4, moves on an are through abottom slot 54 in the coin chute opposite the slot 55,-this slot 54being narrower than the coin 5|,

so that the latter can not escape therethrough. 0

When a coin has been inserted in the chute at 30, the operation of theservice is as follows:

The coin rolls down the chute 21 until engaged and brought to rest bythe feeler 24 in position in front of the pusher lug 52, so that whenthe g5 operator grasps the handle 15 and commences to turn the shaft l4clockwise (Fig. 4), the following operation will result. The pawl 25will allow sufllcient play for pusher 52 to engage coin 5| and commencepressing it upwardly to engage and rock feeler arm 24-and with it thecam actuating arm 22 so as to lift the cam 20 arrows as they appear inFigs. 2 and 4. This motion, as will be best observed in Fi 2, will causepartment 35 so that the latter will flow freely and unobstructedly alongover this face 38 through the bypass formed between it and the curvedface 38, until-all is restored again to the compartment 34, andthereupon the device is ready for a new operation. In order that thevolume of measuring sand can be checked by reference .to a visible indexto determine the elapsed time, I provide a glass window 55 in cabinetwall l2 having an elapsed time measuring index 51 thereon and disposedopposite the compartment 34 so that by the level of the sand '55 thereinobserved through the window 58 and through the transparent walls of thecontainer 3|, the elapsed time can be read.

In Fig. '1 I have shown a modification of my invention in which anelapsed time index, reverse to that shown at 51,- is related to themeasuring window 58 provided opposite the pile of sand 58 that hasaccumulated in the lower measuring compartment 35a, corresponding to 36in Fig. 2. This compartment 35a is connected by an arcuate bypassbetween the walls 38 and 38a, with the storage compartment 34awhich isshaped to bring the delivery nozzle 35 in position under the center ofthe container 31a, such center being indicated by the shaft l4a shown indotted lines, because in this instance the shaft does not pass throughthe container 3Ia'but has its overhung end attached only by a collar l4bfast to the center of the ratchet plate 18. It, is preferable for theshaft not to pass through the sand containing chamber because it wouldne-' cessitate a packing to prevent access of moisture to the sand. Thepurpose of bringing the nozzle 35 into a vertical diametrlc planethrough the container 31a is to cause the sand to form a symmetricalpile 58 which should be read by relation to the intersection of itsinclined sides with measuring scale on the window 58. The

the coin will have passed down until stopped by operation is the same asthat already described in connection with Figs. 1 to 6, with theexception that the elapsed time is read by reference to the sand whichhas passed through the nozzle, instead of by reference to the sandawaiting passage through the nozzle, as in Fig. 2. In all instanceswhere sand is referred to, I mean to include any suitable granular orfluid material fine enough for the slow, but sure and uninterrupted,flow, through the restricted nozzle 35 to measure the required lapse oftime since the last coin was introduced in the meter. It is importantthat there be no obstruction to the free and even flow of the measuringmedium along the arcuate wall of the container that supports it in itstransfer from the compartment 36 or 36a to the compartment 34 or 340. Bydesigning such a bypass as shown and avoiding the use of any movingparts in the path of the sand, I provide an exceedingly simple, and yetalways reliable, operation of the device, in that it will always causethe transfer of whatever sand has passed the nozzle back into positionabove the nozzle, with the exception of such minute amount as may fallthrough the nozzle during the completion of the latter part of therotation of the sand container. The sand chamber being sealed againstaccess of moisture, will provide reliability of operationnotwithstanding the exposure of the instrument to the weather, and thewindows make the sand clearly visible for checking the elapsed time andthe coin last used visible for checking its validity, it being apparentthat the party at the time occupying the parking space will be the oneresponsible for the coin on display in the meter opposite its window 48.While I have shown 'my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various other changes and modifications, without departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as arespecifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an elapsed time measuring and indicating meter, a cabinet havingtherein a ratchet wheel fast on a horizontal shaft, means accessiblefrom without the cabinet to rotate said ratchet wheel, a pair ofreversely'disposed pawls coasting with the ratchet wheel teeth to limitits rotation to a given direction, a stop on the ratchet wheel to arrestand lock it by engagement with one of said pawls at the completion ofeach rotation, a hollow glass annulus fast on the ratchet wheel andcontaining a sealed-in flow-medium and having internal walls defining adelivery chamber and a receiving chamber for the flow-medium, saiddelivery chamber being located above the receiving chamber, a diaphragmcontaining a restricted nozzle interposed between sai chambers, and abypass having an outer continuous arcuate wall over which saidflow-medium travels, responsive to the rotation of the container, fromthe receiving to the delivery chamber, and a window in the cabinetopposite the chamber selected to indicate, by the volume of theflow-medium therein in relation to a time scale, the elapsed time sincethe meter was last operated.

2. A meter for measuring and indicating elapsed time according to claim1, in combination with a coin chute juxtaposed to the ratchet wheel, atrip element mounted on said wheel. an actuator designed and arranged torelease the pawl restraining the operating rotation of the ratchet wheeland to arrest a coin in said chute in the path of said trip element, anda slot in the chute giving access thereto for the trip element to engagethe coin and move said actuator to release the ratchet wheel.

3. In an elapsed time measuring and indicating meter, a cabinet having aratchet wheel rotatably mounted therein, a container having therein aflow medium, said container being fast on the ratchet wheel and formedwith internal delivery and receiving chambers having an interposeddiaphragm with a measuring nozzle and having an unrestricted arcuatebypass for the transfer of the flow-medium from the receiving to thedelivery chamber responsive to the rotation of the container, saiddelivery chamber being above the receiving chamber when the device is intime measuring position, means to rotate the chamber in a givendirection and bring it to rest in initial position, a coin-controlledmeans comprising trip elements on the ratchet wheel, an actuatoroperable by one trip element and the last-received coin to free theratchet wheel for rotation, and a coin arrester operable by the othertrip element to release the prevoiusly deposited coin from the deliveryend of the coin chute, means to render the last mentioned coin visiblewhile arrested at the delivery end of the chute, and means to render theflow-medium visible in relation to an elapsed time scale.

4. In an elapsed time measuring and indicating meter, a cabinet, ahorizontally disposed shaft rotatably mounted therein, a hollowcontainer of cylindrical external shape rotatable with the shaft, aratchet wheel on the container with its teeth projecting past the outercircumference thereof, a pair of reversely disposed pawls pivoted to thecabinet and coacting with the ratchet teeth to lock the containeragainst rotation, a flow medium within the container, a rounded core inthe container forming superposed delivery and receiving chambers for theflow medium and a bypass connecting the chambers, a wall separating thechambers, there being a restricted openingin said wall to permit theflow medium to pass from the delivery to the receiving chamber when thecontainer is in time measuring position, a downwardly sloping coin slot,a pivoted feeler projecting into the coin slot and adapted to arrest acoin in its passage down the slot, an extension on the feeler memberadapted to raise one of said pawls and release the container forrotation in a given direction when the feeler is actuated, a pusher lugfast on the container adapted to engage the coin and actuate the. feeleruponrotation of the container, and manually operable means for rotatingthe container.

5. A meter according to claim 4, in which the pawl actuated by theextension of said feeler is provided with a cam surface against whichthe feeler extension moves to disengage the pawl from the ratchet teeth.

6. A meter according to claim 4, in which the lower end of the coinchute is provided with a pivoted coin stop for holding a previouslydeposited coin in the coin chute, there being openings in the chute andthe cabinet to render said coin visible while so held, and a pin carriedby thecontainer and adapted upon rotation thereof to strike the stop andrelease the coin.

HARRY N.

